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clavicytherium

American  
[klav-uh-sahy-theer-ee-uhm] / ˌklæv ə saɪˈθɪər i əm /

noun

clavicytheria plural
  1. an upright harpsichord.


Etymology

Origin of clavicytherium

1505–15; clavi- < Medieval Latin clāvis key + cytherium, for Latin citara kithara

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the clavicytherium at the Smithsonian Institution the plectra nearest the keyboard points to the player's left.

From Italian Harpsichord-Building in the 16th and 17th Centuries by Shortridge, John D.

Sebastian Virdung,2 writing early in the 16th century, describes the clavicytherium as a new invention, having gut strings, and gives an illustration of it.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4 "Cincinnatus" to "Cleruchy" by Various

In a clavicytherium at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts the opposite is true.

From Italian Harpsichord-Building in the 16th and 17th Centuries by Shortridge, John D.

For the history of the clavicytherium considered as a forerunner of the pianoforte see Pianoforte.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4 "Cincinnatus" to "Cleruchy" by Various

The clavicytherium was usually a very small instrument,—an oblong box, three or four feet in length, that could be lifted by a girl of fourteen.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 117, July, 1867. by Various

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